BAGHDAD—Hard-line pro-Iran militias in Iraq denounced the late-night rocket strike near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, seeking to distance themselves from an attack that threatens to inflame tensions amid efforts to de-escalate a crisis between Washington and Tehran. The existence of militias with close ideological and operational ties to Iran has complicated the Iraqi government’s efforts to steer a middle course as tensions mount. Although the militias are officially part of the Iraqi security forces, the government doesn’t...

Source: Wall Street Journal May 20, 2019 12:33 UTC